The field of the present invention comprises electric power usage and demand monitoring and billing and more particularly the reporting of electric power usage and demand in support of electric power industry billing practices.
Most commercial or industrial properties have electric power meters that monitor and record KW demand according to sliding windows or intervals that are commonly 15 minutes in length and are subject to electric utility tariffs or billing structures for power that include charges over the billing period for On-Peak usage in KWH (Kilowatt Hours) typically from 10 AM to 9 PM weekdays not including holidays and charges for Off-Peak usage in KWH at other times. In more and more cases separate demand charges or surcharges are also included with respect to maximum coincident KW (Kilowatt) demand during the billing period or with respect to the coincident KW demand of the customer occurring at the time of either the building peak demand or system peak demand for the utility company service area during the billing period.
Furthermore, electric power is frequently sub-metered to tenants in large buildings, or commercial or industrial complexes where the tenants have multiple separately metered leaseholds or properties and the terms of leases usually establish coincident demand charges. In such cases the electric power usage and demand measured by each of the meters is usually aggregated over the multiple properties held by each tenant since this provides an advantage to the tenants result of the diversity of demand represented by the different properties. Electric power billing charges related to demand peaks and coincident demand are becoming increasingly important in the electric power industry and important concern in situations where tenants or owners hold multiple separately metered pr sub-metered properties in the same building or utility service area.
However, it is currently difficult to track electric power usage and demand across multiple properties and efficiently account for coincident demand on a consolidated basis with respect to multiple properties despite the fact that reporting of usage and demand on a consolidated or aggregate basis may benefit tenants, owners and utility companies.